Grand jury to get robbery case

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - A magistrate ruled Monday that a Philadelphia man facing two counts of attempted murder can also be charged with robbery in connection with a separate incident.

Berkeley County Magistrate Joan Bragg decided that a robbery charge against Shimek Seabrook, 25, of Philadelphia, can be presented to a grand jury.

West Virginia State Police allege that Seabrook and an unknown man broke into a Berkeley Gardens apartment last October, ordered the occupants to lie on the floor and stole money.

Seabrook was arrested in connection with that crime six months later, on April 19. He was already in jail, charged with shooting at two state troopers who were investigating possible drug sales at Roberts Gardens on March 13.

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One of the troopers chased Seabrook into a laundry room at Berkeley Gardens and shot him twice as he tried to escape, according to police allegations. Seabrook survived the wounds and is recovering.

At a preliminary hearing on the robbery charge on Monday, Brian Robinson testified that two men broke into his Berkeley Gardens apartment late on Oct. 9, 1999. A tall man had a gun in his hand and a shorter man grabbed a butcher knife from the kitchen, Robinson said.

The men pointed a gun at Robinson's friend, then ordered both of them to lie on the floor while the robbers searched for money, Robinson testified.

He said the intruders stole $800 that he and his wife had saved.

The robbery was unsolved until Robinson learned that Seabrook had been shot, according to Trooper D.E. Boober, who also testified.

Robinson testified that he heard that the shorter assailant was from Philadelphia, so he asked police to show him Seabrook's photo.

Robinson identified Seabrook from a book of about 70 to 80 photos, according to Boober.

Police do not know the identity of the second man. According to Robinson, the taller man wore a hood and his features were partially hidden.

Seabrook was at the courthouse during the hearing, but did not appear in court because Robinson's identification is an issue in the case.

Seabrook was being held in the Eastern Regional Jail on a combined $350,000 bail on the two charges.